118 CHAPTER 117 TRAITOR

Nimrod placed his hands on the wall, lifting his weight from the ground. Fatigue was kicking in, spreading through every nook and cranny of his body. His head was also aching and his vision revolved like the face of a roller coaster. If Anabel had not suggested it, he would have laid on the floor and have a good sleep until every energy that had been sapped away from him was restored. This was one thing he hated about Extracting. It always leaves him with a splitting head and burning muscles. The energy it always takes from him was just too great.

"Are you okay?" Anabel asked as she spread her hands around him.

"Yeah, just some bloody headache."

"That explains it then because you smell like roasting garbage."

Nimrod wanted to explain how he had rescued a woman and her baby from the claws of death, but the words would not form when he tried to speak. The undertone came into a gibberish mumble instead, as though he had something stuck in his throat.

"Can you walk? We need to get out of here before those creatures come looking for us, " Anabel said, looking over her shoulder almost immediately. She looked younger, despite the worries that cornered the verge of her bright eyes.

"I can walk, I don't need help," Nimrod muffled, leaning away from her, "How did they find us?"

"I don't know," The worry in Anabel's tone made him want to cuddle into a ball and cry his heart out. "But," She continued as she returned the vibrant gaze to his direction, "We need to get out of the hallway and into the basement. We need to find you an Air Tripler so that you will get far away from here."

Anabel had begun to move the way she had come, hoping he would tag along.

"What, wait" Nimrod shouted, glad that his world was no longer spinning and that the headache had subsided. "Get me an Air Tripler. What about the others?" 

"Come on, Nim." She said as the worries seemed to spread from her eyes to every corner of her face, "We don't have much time. I will explain everything on the way."

She took his hands and dragged them roughly.

"Let me go. Ah, you are hurting me." Nimrod jerked his hands away.

"Sorry, but we must hurry." 

"I am not going anywhere without others. Alex is still in that dark hole. I will not leave him."

"Alex will be fine, but right now I need you to trust me."

Again, she looked at him. This time, their gaze met, and Nimrod could see not just the worries, but the love and the affection. She really meant what she was saying, and he hated himself for believing her. 

"I do trust you, Mrs. Peters. But right now, don't you think we should be debating on how to help the rest of the people."

"They can handle themselves, Nim. Come on let's hurry. The general said he wouldn't spare anyone who stood against his wish."

"Alright, but know that… wait. Did you just the general?"

Anabel broke her gaze and bit her thumbnail. The crease on the side of her eyes deepened when they returned to Nimrod. There was guilt flooding all over her face, and as he watched, he saw the tears dropping.

"I am sorry, Nim. I knew that one day my evil will catch up with me. I never knew it will be so sudden."

Nimrod shook his head. Hard as he tried, understanding would not settle on his head. It was even harder now to fit the puzzle. Was she sad because she had left Jeff and Ema? Those words had been on her lips ever since they came out of prison. Or could it be that she was trying to abandon everyone just to save her own skin?

"What are you talking about?" Nimrod asked, after some time.

The screams of women seemed to have doubled. Men had also joined. Their voice could be heard all over the place. Even the smell of smoke had increased, and Nimrod was sure the building which he had rescued the woman from, had nothing to do with it.

"Here," Anabel said and dropped something into his palms. She cupped his hands in hers, crying with regrets. "I am not proud of what I have done, but at least, I had tried to save you."

"What are you talking about, already?" Nimrod shouted with both confusion and anger. The woman was wasting their time. If she would not voice her problem, then she better be off from his way. He needed to be with the others, they must fight whatever had invaded the place together.

"Listen," The woman nodded and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. She did not release her hands from his, and the grip was becoming sweaty.

"What you have in your hands is the book of Blood and Feathers. You must give it to Jeff. Promise me, Nimrod, promise to do as I say."

"I promise," Nimrod clenched his fist when the woman finally realized them. 

The book of Blood and Feathers was a small square device, which happened to have a USB connection port. There was nothing significant about it. Nimrod had heard about it one or two times and each time, nobody said anything great about the book. He could see why they didn't.

"I tried my best, Gabriel. I tried to keep you and your sister safe. But I even failed at that. I am not good at anything now, you see?"

"No," Nimrod staggered backward, throwing a dubious gaze at the woman, "It can't be. Only one person in the entire universe knew me by that name. The last time I checked, she was dead."

"Well," Anabel shrugged as if she had expected his reaction, "Guess death means many things to the human mind."

"You mean—you" Nimrod's voice cracked. His vision was already becoming blurred with tears. He wiped them away, "You mean you are her? You mean you are Elizabeth, my mother?"

"I can only answer that question if you get to safety, Gabriel. There is no time. The General will stop at nothing until he burns this place to the ground."

"But… but how. How… how is that even possible? I saw you die. I saw you die."

"No, Nimrod. You only saw what I wanted you to see." Anabel heaved, "I had to do it. It was the only way to keep you safe. When General Zack had invaded the Heroes city with his imps and machines. He had wiped every family who would not accept his HT. You know the story. Why did you think you survive and your sister had died?"

Nimrod shook his head. He was sobbing now as the event of that day started forming in his mind's eyes. The screams, the yelling, and the destruction. It was all too anew, as though it were only yesterday.

"You had survived," Anabel continued, "Because I pleaded with the General to spare your life after you had refused to accept the HT. I had pleaded for your life and that of your sister. You had listened to me and had joined the other captives. Your sister on the other hand was just too stubborn. She chose her path"

"So you killed her because she refused to listen to you?"

"No" Anabel shook her head regrettably, "I loved her more than I love you and would never lift a finger to hurt her. General Zack had killed her, right…" She trailed off to wipe the tears away, "Right in my presence. She had seen the transitioning and heard overhead the plans the General had in mind. That was why she had died. Oh, if she had listened to me and remained in the room."

Nimrod closed his eyes, letting the agony overwhelm him. He could see the face of Abigail. She was too young and full of life and does not deserve to die like a chicken.

"The General" Anabel continued, "Had told me to impersonate the one person whom Jeff loves most in the world. His scientist had taken the woman's gene and had injected it into my system. I don't know how they had done it, but when I had woken up the morning after, I realized that my body was gone. My soul and guilt was the only thing trapped in this body. The experiment had been so perfect that it made me think like Anabel, speak like her, and do things like her."

"So you are saying this body is a clone?" Nimrod asked and grunted when the woman nodded in agreement, "That means the true Anabel is still alive, somewhere?"

"I don't know. I had been so busy with this assignment to care. My family was my main focus."

"Ah," Nimrod shook his head when the piece finally fitted, "The capture… The capture in the Heroes city and the imprisonment. They were all part of the plan, right?"

"Yes, Nim. The government had anticipated Jeff's move. And he had fallen right into their plan. Poor child, so ignorant."